H-Hey… H-How're… How're you guys doing…?
Uh, Grim? You doing alright?
I-I'm fine… just… just dealing with… a small heat wave… with a broken AC (my house is 93 F/35 C)
Ooh… that's gotta hurt.
Yup.
Axel's Lullaby: Well… I doubt Minato is in a good mood.
You REALLY don't like having Minato be a happy camper, do you?
Sorry, his design pretty much says "FML" on it.
Nightlyy: Well you see… what'll happen is *censored* and that leads to *censored* and then *censored* which is this fic's version of *censored* and that's why I'm convinced that *censored* all the while shouting "BLOOD GALORE!"
I… think you went off on a tangent there.
Eh, prolly.
Is Kotone ever coming back?
Eh, maybe.
Clevernameeh: I dunno if those two would be pissed at him… I mean, he WAS in an unstable set of mind.
Then again, he almost killed all of them.
Good point…
School
Ring. Ring. Ring.
The bell rang signaling the end of the school day. Everyone was already in low spirits due to most having their home damaged during the shadows' rampage throughout the city. There was even a brief break for the various damages to the roads to be repaired, but needless to say, not many actually got to enjoy the extra time off.
Still, life continued on. Everyone complained every now and then, and had a cloud over their shoulder but that was it. They could still live on, blissfully unaware of the truth that had happened the past few weeks—hell, this year even.
On and on the wheel of time goes on, unaffected by anything that happens. No matter how much people try to live in the past, they clock will simply keep ticking as they get left behind for their past regrets and decisions to swallow them whole.
Kotone continued to stare out the window like she had been doing ever since Makoto first went missing, and continued to do so ever since he was put into the hospital. Her grades were next to perfect already, so it's not like missing a few lectures were going to hurt her that badly. Besides, it's not like she would be able to concentrate anyway. For now, all she could do was let the pitter-patter of the rain drops outside carry her away…
"Shiomi-san…"
Times like this she had could finally think to herself.
The golden question on SEES' mind was none other than, 'did the Dark Hour actually go away?' Originally, they had thought that everything would be solved the moment the twelve shadows representing the twelve Arcana would end everything.
But then they learned the truth about Ikutsuki, the very person who had told them that. She trusted Makoto's the word the moment he told her and the others learned when they heard it from Pharos.
"Shiomi-san…!"
Much as she hated to admit it, it was doubtful that Pharos would've had any reason to lie to them. That… thing wasn't even planning on them to survive and everything it said about Makoto/Minato and his family was true.
In that case, what did they fight for this entire time? They didn't even know what Ikutsuki's plan would've been now that he and Sakuya were both dead. What would he have gained for betraying them? How would he even betray them? Poisoning them or something? Was Sakuya's original purpose to kill them once the deed was done? No, he would've just killed the twelve shadows himself if he was strong enough to kill all of them plus Makoto.
Maybe the Dark Hour really is over, but he would have killed all of them for something that none of them knew as of yet? Perhaps he wanted the hour over as much as they did, but there was some personal reason he had for wanting revenge on Kirijo just like Makoto did.
It's funny in a way. They worked so hard, yet everything up until now feels hollow once the reached their goal. Ikutsuki's dead, Shinjiro's dead, Makoto's likely never going to be the same even if he wakes up, and everyone in SEES was having a hard time hiding the cloud looming over them; in the end, no one is happy.
"Shiomi-san!"
Kotone blinked as she finally snapped back to reality to find that she was the only student in the classroom with her homeroom teacher Ms. Toriumi standing in front of her desk.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry," Kotone apologized, quickly beginning to pack up her things.
The teacher sighed as her student prepared herself to leave, "Shiomi, is everything all right?" she asked. "You've really been out of it lately. Is there something bothering you?"
Kotone stood and shook her head. "I'm fine," she said, "nothing to be concerned about."
"Are you sure?" The teacher asked again. "It wouldn't have anything to do with Yuki-kun's recent hospitalization, would it?"
Kotone couldn't stop herself from looking away at the mere mention of that. Whenever she thought about it, she could only think about everything she had to do to him in their fight because of that monstrosity that followed him like the parasite it was.
"No," she shook her head again. "Like I said, I'm fine. Just in one of those moods."
Toriumi didn't seem satisfied with that response, but accepted nonetheless, "Well, if you need anything—"
"I said I'm fine! Stop it!" Kotone finally lost her temper and shouted at the teacher before storming out of the room before her elder even had a chance to respond to her sudden outburst. She had enough on her mind already. She didn't need anyone poking around in something that didn't concern them.
Mumbling various curses and rantings to herself, Kotone made her way to the school gate. To hell with that lazy teacher, she can worry about her own damn problems.
"Shiomi, wait!"
Kotone stopped when she recognized the voice of her senior and looked back to see Mitsuru with an unusually worried look on her face.
"What's going on?" Kotone responded urgently, instantly forgetting her brief spat with her teacher from just a few moments ago.
"It's Arisato," Mitsuru answered, "according to the doctors he's been missing ever since the last operation!"
Kotone's heart suddenly sank. Even if Minato/Makoto were awake now, that… thing was still with him. "And you're just finding out about this now!?"
"Everyone was still exhausted from last night. This morning I didn't think to—" Mitsuru cut herself off and shook her head, "We can discuss this later. Right now, the most important thing to do is find him as soon as possible!"
"Dammit," Kotone cursed as the various images of what that monster could've been doing to him flood her brain. All she could think of was all the times he cut himself, all of the physical and mental torture he went through alone in that freezing apartment of his, and that cursed grinning mask with lifeless eyes that he wore that the demon spoke through.
"The hospital was already put on lockdown and conducted a full search," Mitsuru continued, "he must've left before the Dark Hour ended. He could be anywhere!"
No, no, no, no… Kotone's thoughts raced as the fear of having to fight him again began setting in. She barely won last time with Minato's help, and now… she didn't even want to think about now.
Dammit, just where the hell was he?
Apartments
It might've been a waste of time, but it was worth checking to see if he had gone back to his apartment at some point. He was in a hospital gown when he woke up, he must've gotten a change of clothes somehow lest he stick out like a sore thumb.
When Kotone arrived at the place that served as Makoto's home for the past year, she saw that the place seemed to be mostly untouched. Without that monster present, the temperature of the place had long since gone up and the unnatural darkness had gone away completely.
Besides from those two changes, nothing really seemed all that different about the place. The whole place was mostly barren, leaving very little to be disturbed even if he did come through here.
"Dammit, dammit…" Kotone cursed as she searched the house relentlessly. There had to at least have been some clue on where he would have gone! Even if he was brainwashed or possessed by Pharos again, there had to have been something that Makoto was drawn too…
Kotone sighed as she struggled to think of a specific place he would have gone. For the most part, Makoto always kept to himself in his house or something just to avoid people, so he only left to get something eat, drink, go to school, or when she dragged him out.
There had to be something…
As Kotone searched the place one more time for anything she could have missed that at least hinted where he went. After what felt like hours of searching, Kotone's eyes wondered to the small plushies that Makoto collected as a memento to his deceased sister.
It was then that something struck her…
"Ever been to Destinyland before?" If "parents" or "childhood" was too touchy, then maybe being a bit more broad would be fine?
"No." And this did little to change his habit of answering with 1 worded sentences.
Kotone sighed, this was just tedious. If she took the safe approach, she wasn't going to get anywhere "Alright, I'll ask: Are you going to keep doing this?"
Makoto shrugged "I dunno, I'm just answering honestly."
Kotone just blinked and stared "... There's something wrong with you." she complained
"Whatever." He dismissed the complaint as he gazed off to another direction.
There in the distance were a multiple grave stones, but only 3 held any meaning to him.
Even after all these years since the funeral, they still looked exactly as he remembered them.
There were 2 typical ones. The final resting places of what was left of his parents' corpses after that day.
And, there was the 3rd one... and that one was far too small to belong here.
"You alright?" Kotone asked, her concern returning as he seemed to space out again
…
…
"Did you hear that..?" She asked, barely able to contain her giggling and her face almost seemed to be glowing the redder it became "She called you my boyfriend."
"That so..?" Makoto replied disinterested. Instead, his attention was focused on the same thing that had distracted him the last time he was here.
"Minato!"
Three graves; Two for adults, one that was far too small...
"Minato!"
One for a loving mother and another for a caring father...
"MINATO!"
And then, one for a piece of him that he had lost... All because-
"Hey!" Kotone's yelling shocked him out of his daze and made him shake his head to regain focus
"I'm sorry, what?" He asked trying to understand what was going on, having been distracted by things he wished he could forget.
…
Come to think of it, both of those were at the exact same place, too. It was one of the few moments where Makoto was noticeably bother by something, which could only mean—
"Bingo…" she said as she quickly dialed a number on her phone. "Senpai, I think I know where he went!"
Shrine
Minato had placed himself under a nearby tree once the rain began to go from drizzling to pouring. It wasn't much in terms of shelter, but was better than nothing at all.
Minato shivered as the cold began to catch up to him. It was strange to feel something as basic as feeling cold again. Before, it took something supernatural like Pharos before he could even feel slight irritation, but now his senses were progressively going back to normal.
But that also left questions that he was frightened to know the answers to. It didn't matter if Pharos was gone now, his soul had been permanently marked from the second it was forced into him. Even if minor things like the ability to feel cold like a normal person came back, there was always going to be something else that would never go back to how it was.
"I was wondering when you were going to show up," he said as he listened to sounds of footsteps approaching him. There weren't a lot of people who would want to visit the shrine in the rain, and even less in this exact spot. "So, was this what you were expecting to see?"
"Who am I speaking to right now?" The redhead asked.
Minato let out an empty laugh, "Didn't I tell you? I'm just one big mess."
"Just one big mess, huh?"
Minato stood up and approached the short girl who had been the cause of so many headaches. There wasn't any fear in her eyes or anger. All that was there was the relief that after weeks of being hunted followed by guilt, the nightmare was finally over.
Minato nodded, "Just one now," he shrugged, "Pharos left, Makoto's asleep, and the one who shared my name died saving you…"
Minato bit his lip and began choking on his words, "s-saving you from… from… I-I…"
Before he could finish the sentence, Kotone wrapped her arms the boy who buried his face in her shoulder.
"I-I… I…"
"It's alright…" She promised as she tightened her grip on his frame. Even though the freezing rain was still falling, she didn't care. She didn't know how or why, but she could tell just by being around him that it was true. The monster was finally gone, and she was left with him… the real him.
"I… I'm so…" he couldn't hold it in anymore. For the first time in many long years, the tears came flooding out like a river. Makoto was still part of him, and if he tried to hurt her, then that meant he had tried to hurt her as well.
"It's okay, it's okay…" She continued to whisper in his ear. Minato lost all strength in his legs, causing both of them to fall to their knees while still latching onto one another. "It's all okay now."
"I-I… I almost… would've…" the tears just kept flowing. By now, Kotone couldn't tell if her clothes were soaked from the rain, or the boy's tears.
"Hey…" Kotone pulled back and saw that the boy's eyes had gone red from the tears that were still falling down his cheeks. Flashing him one brief smile, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. It was just for a brief moment, but even that small brief kiss felt like magic after everything they've gone through.
After that short sweet kiss had ended, both of them placed their foreheads against one another. After all this time, it was like everything from the past month had been nothing but a dream.
Barely able to choke back more tears before croaking out, "I… I love you."
Kotone beamed back at him, "I love you too."
"How…?" He asked. "How can you still…"
She giggled, "Tell me that you love me for the first time, and you can get away with a lot of things."
Minato felt her hands cup the sides of his face as his vision continued to blur from the tears welling up in his eyes. "I don't know who I am anymore…"
She shook her head as she pulled him in close again. "You are and always were Minato Arisato… you just lost your way."
"I'm all alone now…"
"You still have me."
Minato shook his head, "I don't deserve you."
Kotone giggled as she ran a hand through his soaked hair, "Please, you need me to keep your ass in check."
Minato couldn't help but chuckle, "I guess I do, don't I?"
"Come on," she whispered as she hugged him as tightly as she could one more time. "Let's go home."
"I don't have one."
"God you're such an idiot," she giggled as she gave him another peck on the lips. "Home is where your loved ones are."
Whatever awaited them later wasn't any of concern of them now. For now, all they could do was smile as they held each other again. At long last, Minato's long nightmare was finally over.
Welp, this was a shorter chapter. Bit of fluff after the long-ass arc, and Minato crying like a baby.
Pft, bitch.
He's MY bitch!
Oh, you're back.
And my husbando and I are going to wear each other out as soon as we can… god, it's been too long.
It's been a month.
TOO LONG!
Jesus, what have I created.
